1-^0%   3'  i^^ 


V^-w 


4-3 

CONNECTICUT  no,  ^1= 

Agricultural  Experiment  Station 

NEW  HAVEN,  CONN. 


BULLETIN   192,   JANUARY,   1917. 


OBSERVATIONS  ON  ALFALFA. 

By  E.  H.  JENKINS. 


CONTENTS. 


Preparation  of  land  and  planting 3 

Course  of  the  experiment 5 

Effect  of  liming 5 

Average  yield  per  acre 6 

Comparison  of  yields  of  the  three  yearly  cuttings 7 

Comparison  of  varieties 7 

Cost  of  the  crop   8 

Yield  in  feed  and  its  signijScance 9 

Plant  food  taken  by  the  crop 11 

Conclusion 11 


The  Bulletins  o£  this  Station  are  mailed  free  to  citizens  of  Con- 
necticut who  apply  for  them,  and  to  others  as  far  as  the  editions 
permit. 


CONNECTICUT  AGRICULTURAL  EXPERIMENT  STATION. 

OFFICERS  AND  STAFF. 


BOARD  OF  CONTROL. 

His  Excellency,  Marcus  H.  Holcomb,  ex-officio,  President. 

Prof.  H.  W.  Conn,  Vice  President Middletown 

George  A.  Hopson,  Secretary Wallingford 

E.  H.  Jenkins,  Director  and  Treasurer New  Haven 

Joseph  W.  Alsop Avon 

Wilson  H.  Lee Orange 

Frank  H.  Stadtmueller Elmwood 

James  H.  Webb Hamden 


Administration.  E.  H.  Jenkins,  Ph.D.,  Director  and  Treasurer. 

Miss  V.  E.  Cole,  Librarian  and  Stenographer. 
Miss  L.  M.  Brautlecht,  Bookkeeper  and  Stenographer. 
William  Veitch,  In  charge  of  Buildings  and  Grounds. 

Chemistry. 
Analytical    Laboratory.  John  Phillips  Street,  M.S.,  Chemist  in  Charge. 
E.  Monroe  Bailey,  Ph.D.,  C.  B.  Morison,  B.S., 
C.  E.  Shepard,  Assistants. 
Hugo  Lange,  Laboratory  Helper. 
V.  L.  Churchill,  Sampling  Agent. 


Proteid  Research. 


T.  B.  Osborne,  Ph.D.,  Chemist  in  Charge. 
Miss  E.  L.  Ferry,  M.S.,  Assistant. 


Botany. 


G.  P.  Clinton,  Sc.D.,  Botanist. 

E.  M.  Stoddard,  B.S.,  Assistant  Botanist. 

G.  E.  Graham,  General  Assistant. 


Entomology. 


W.  E.  Britton,  Ph.D.,  Entomologist;    State  Entomologist. 

B.  H.  Walden,  B.Agr.,  First  Assistant. 

Q.  S.  Lowry,  B.Sc,  I.  W.  Davis,  B.Sc,  I  Assistants. 

M.  P.  Zappe,  B.S.,  ' 

Miss  G.  A.  Foote,  B.A.,  Stenographer. 


Forestry. 


Walter  O.  Filley,  Forester;    also  State  Forester 

and  State  Forest  Fire  Warden. 
A.  E.  Moss,  M.F.,  Assistant  Station  Forester. 
Miss  E.   L.  Avery,  Stenographer. 


Plant  Breeding. 


Donald  F.  Jones,  M.S.,  Plant  Breeder. 
C.  D.  HuBBELL,  Assistant. 


Vegetable   Growing. 


Howard  F.  Hueer,  B.S. 


OBSERVATIONS  ON  ALFALFA. 

By  E.  H.  Jenkins 

It  is  the  purpose  of  this  bulletin  to  describe  a  single  experience 
with  alfalfa  during  four  years,  in  one  of  which  there  was  severe 
drought  and  in  another  a  winter  which  was  very  destructive  to 
alfalfa  and  clover,  and  to  give  accurately  determined  instead  of 
estimated  yields,  along  with  some  pertinent  chemical  data  and 
conclusions. 

The  rules  regarding  fitting,  fertilizing  and  seeding  land  for 
this  crop  are  so  often  given  in  published  matter  and  in  farmers' 
meetings  that  they  need  not  be  rehearsed  here. 

The  value  of  the  crop  for  hay  and  for  soiling  is  generally 
understood.  Its  value  when  cut  into  the  silo  mixed  with  corn 
is  somewhat  in  debate.  That  cattle  will  greedily  eat  such  silage 
and  thrive  on  it  is  admitted.  But  as  to  its  odor  and  effect  on 
the  flavor  of  milk,  the  olfactory  sense  of  alfalfa  enthusiasts  seems 
to  give  a  rather  different  verdict  from  that  of  some  dairymen. 

How  it  can  be  used  profitably  for  pasture  is  still  undetermined. 

That  it  can  be  grown  on  many  soils  in  the  State  is  certain; 
that  it  and  clover  furnish  the  means  of  reducing  grain  bills  seems 
clear.  Neither  of  these  two  crops  can  be  said  to  be  everywhere 
and  always  the  better  suited  for  this  purpose. 

It  must  be  determined  for  each  farm  separately  according  to 
the  special  conditions  whether  clover  in  rotation  or  alfalfa  grown 
five  years  or  more  without  reseeding  pays  best. 

The  difficulty  of  curing  alfalfa  for  hay  in  "catching"  weather 
has  been  often  discussed.  Of  course  great  damage  may  be  done 
to  any  hay  crop  if  the  season  is  very  unfavorable.  But  we  have 
found  no  great  trouble  of  this  kind  in  the  last  four  years,  curing 
it  mostly  in  cocks  protected  by  light  caps  in  rainy  weather. 
Water-proof  or  nearly  water-proof  caps  are  worse  than  none. 
We  find  it  somewhat  easier  to  cure  than  clover. 

Preparation  of  Land  and  Planting. 

The  land,  a  part  of  the  Mount  Carmel  field,  was  a  rather  sandy 
loam  and  a  neglected  pasture. 


4  CONNECTICUT   EXPERIMENT   STATION    BULLETIN    I92. 

The  herbage  was  chiefly  poverty  grass  (Andropogon  scopa- 
rius)  and  did  not  pay  to  cut  for  hay. 

It  was  plowed  in  the  spring  of  1912.  To  one-half  of  the  plot 
ground  limestone  was  applied  at  the  rate  of  four  tons  to  the  acre. 
After  thorough  disking,  the  whole  field  received  basic  phosphate 
and  muriate  of  potash  at  the  rate  of  500  and  200  pounds  per 
acre  respectively. 

It  was  cultivated  three  times  to  kill  weeds  and  hold  moisture. 

In  the  middle  of  August  it  was  divided  into  six  plots,  each 
about  one-ninth  of  an  acre,  and  each  plot  was  seeded  with  one 
of  the  varieties  of  alfalfa  named  below.  Five  hundred  pounds 
per  acre  of  soil  from  an  old  alfalfa  field  were  broadcast  with  the 
seed,  which  was  used  at  the  rate  of  thirty  pounds  per  acre. 

The  seed  was  kindly  supplied  by  the  United  States  Bureau  of 
Plant  Industry,  through  Mr.  R.  A.  Oakley,  agronomist.* 

The  varieties  were : 

Grimm,  No.  29988,  from  a  forty-year  old  field,  supplied  by 
A,  B.  Lyman,  Excelsior,  Minn. 

Sand  Lucerne,  No.  34108,  from  Nungesser-Dickinson  Seed 
Co.,  New  York  City. 

Kansas-grown,  No.  33710,  from  Barteldes  Seed  Co.,  Lawrence, 
Kans. 

Provence,  No.  28094,  from  Nungesser  Seed  Co, 

Utah-grown,  No,  21829,  grown  in  Sevier  Valley  near  Oasis, 
Utah,  from  O.  S.  Bliss, 

Turkestan,  No.  24353,  bought  from  Jose  D.  Husbands,  Chile, 
imported  from  Switzerland, 

All  varieties  came  through  the  winter  of  19 12- 13  with  no  trace 
of  winter-killing  and  made  a  good  start  in  spring. 

When  six  inches  high,  the  unlimed  half  of  each  plot  looked 
uneven,  some  bunches  having  a  good  color  and  others  looking 

yellow. 

Before  cutting,  daisies  were  abundant  over  the  whole,  but 
were  thicker  on  the  unlimed  part. 

Early  in  June,  leaf -spot  appeared  and  very  badly  damaged  the 
crop  over  the  whole  field.  Sand  Lucerne  and  Turkestan  suffered 
most,  particularly  on  the  limed  part. 


*  Farmers'  Bull.  757  issued  by  the  U.  S.  Dept.  of  Agriculture  contains  a 
discussion  and  history  of  these  and  other  alfalfa  varieties. 


observations  on  alfalfa.  5 

The  Course  of  the  Experiment. 

The  crop  was  cut  June  i6th  and  was  very  small,  both  on 
account  of  the  leaf-spot  and  the  dry  season. 

On  June  20th,  anticipating  rain,  acid  phosphate  at  the  rate  of 
515  pounds  per  acre  and  muriate  of  potash  at  the  rate  of  221 
poimds  were  broadcast  over  the  whole  piece. 

No  rain  followed,  the  drought  was  severe  until  the  end  of 
August,  and  the  alfalfa  made  no  growth  and  blossomed  when 
only  four  inches  high.  On  the  day  of  the  field  meeting,  August 
15th,  it  appeared  to  be  about  dead. 

After  abundant  rain  late  in  August  vigorous  growth  began 
again  and  the  field  went  into  the  winter  looking  very  well,  except 
that  long-leaved  plantain  had  become  abundant. 

In  January,  1914,  limestone  at  the  rate  of  5,900  pounds  per 
acre  was  broadcast  over  the  limed  portion  of  the  field. 

The  winter  of  1913-14  was  particularly  severe  in  its  effects 
on  clover  and  alfalfa,  and  growers  in  this  State  as  well  as  in 
Massachusetts  and  Rhode  Island  suffered  very  heavy  losses.  A 
Connecticut  grower  reported  that  he  had  sixty  acres  of  alfalfa 
in  the  fall  of  1913;  ten  acres  seeded  in  that  year  and  the  rest 
from  three  to  five  years  old.  All  the  new  seedings  and  about 
half  of  the  older  alfalfa  were  winter-killed.  He  had  one-eighth 
of  an  acre  of  Grimm,  which  suffered  no  damage,  while  another 
variety  seeded  at  the  same  time  suffered  a  twenty-five  per  cent 
damage. 

Neither  the  Grimm  nor  the  Turkestan  variety  suffered  any 
damage  on  the  limed  part  of  our  field.  Sand  Lucerne  and 
Provence  suffered  slightly.  The  Utah  and  Kansas  varieties 
suffered  most. 

Three  cuttings  were  made  in  each  of  the  following  years : 
1914,  1915  and  1916.  In  these  years  nothing  was  done  to  any 
of  the  plots  except  to  cut  the  crops. 

The  Effect  of  Liming. 

In  the  first  year,  1913,  the  yield  per  acre  of  the  limed  plots  was 
2.26  tons,  and  of  the  unlimed  plots  2.04  tons  or  90.3  per  cent  of 
the  yield  from  limed  plots. 

In  1914  the  average  yield  from  the  limed  plots  was  4.47  tons 
per  acre;  from  the  unlimed  2.6  tons,  or  58.1  per  cent  of  the 
crop  from  the  limed  plots. 


6  CONNECTICUT   EXPERIMENT    STATION    BULLETIN    I92. 

It  is  unnecessary  to  give  the  comparison  for  the  other  years.. 
Where  no  lime  was  applied  grass  and  weeds  make  up  a  consider- 
able part  of  the  crop,  which  is  in  all  cases  much  smaller  than  that 
from  the  limed  part.  This  is  only  another  demonstration  of  the 
well-known  necessity  of  liming  land  very  heavily  where  alfalfa  is 
to  be  grown. 

The  Average  Yield  of  Alfalfa. 

The  crops  here  reported  will  be  regarded  by  alfalfa  enthusiasts 
as  very  moderate.  They  show  what  may  be  expected  for  a  term 
of  four  years  on  land  not  in  good  "condition,"  and  the  yield 
in  every  case  was  accurately  weighed  and  not  estimated. 

The  following  weights  in  tons  per  acre  were  obtained  in  the 
three  cuttings  (only  one  cutting  in  1913)  from  the  limed  plots. 

Yield  of  Alfalfa  in  Tons  of  Hay  per  Acre. 

Grimm    

Sand  Lucerne    

Kansas    

Provence 

Utah    

Turkestan    

Average  2.26  4.47  4.22  4.36  3.83 

The  largest  yield  in  any  one  year  was  5.93  tons.  The  largest 
average  yield  for  four  years  was  4.39  tons,  and  the  average  yield 
of  all  six  varieties  for  four  years  was  3.83  tons. 

Excluding  the  first  year,  when  there  was  only  one  cutting 
because  of  severe  drought  and  when  that  cutting  was  consid- 
erably reduced  by  leaf-spot,  the  average  3deld  for  three  years 
is  4.35  tons  of  hay,  or  about  13  tons  of  green  forage. 

As  bearing  on  the  yield  which  may  be  expected  from  this  crop 
under  more  favorable  conditions  as  to  preparation  of  land,  the 
following  yields  from  another  field  have  interest.  This  field, 
lying  within  a  few  rods  of  the  one  above  described,  had  borne 
three  successive  crops  of  wheat  and  in  1914  was  heavily  limed, 
carefully  fitted  and  well  inoculated.  Its  preparation  was  con- 
sidered to  be  nearly  perfect. 


' 

Average  of 

I9I3 

I9I4 

191S 

1916 

4  years 

2.73 

5-93 

4-65 

4.26 

4-39 

2.06 

4.69 

3-93 

4-35 

3.76 

2.56 

4.46 

4-38 

4.29 

3-92 

2.29 

4.47 

4.42 

4.20 

3.84 

2-1 5 

341 

4.26 

4-79 

3.65 

1.79 

3-88 

3.67 

4-25 

340 

OBSERVATIONS   ON    ALFALFA.  7. 

A  comparison  of  yields  is  as  follows : 

Old  Field  19 14  Field 

20  lbs.  seed,  average  of  all  varieties,  1915   4.22  5.27 

20  lbs.  seed,  average  of  all  varieties,  1916  4.36  4.16 

20  lbs.  seed,  average  of  the  2  years  4.29  4.72 

Highest  yield  in  1915  4.65  6.3 

Highest  yield  in  1916 4.79  4.5 

Comparison  of  Yields  from  the  Three  Cuttings. 

The  first  cutting  of  each  variety  and  in  every  year  was  much 
larger  than  the  second  or  third. 

In  191 5  the  third  cutting  was  considerably  larger  than  the 
second  in  five  of  the  six  varieties,  but  in  the  other  years  the 
second  was  larger  than  the  third. 

Averaging  all  varieties  for  the  three  years,  55  per  cent  of  the 
year's  crop  was  in  the  first  cutting,  o."]  per  cent  in  the  second, 
and  18  per  cent  in  the  third. 

A  single  year's  weighings  of  a  crop  grown  by  Mr.  C.  M. 
Jarvis  yielded  58  per  cent  in  the  first  cutting,  17  per  cent  in  the 
second  and  25  per  cent  in  the  third.  The  first  cutting,  however, 
was  much  drier  than  the  others  and  so  carried  a  larger  portion 
of  the  dry  matter  than  is  indicated  by  the  figures  given. 

It  is  evident  that  the  relative  amounts  of  tlie  second  and  third 
cuttings  will  be  greatly  influenced  by  temperature  and  rainfall 
during  the  summer. 

Comparison  of  Varieties. 

Since  there  is  no  proof  that  the  soil  on  which  these  varieties 
grew  had  the  .same  productive  capacity — although  there  is  noth- 
ing to  indicate  that  this  is  not  the  case — any  strict  comparison 
of  the  varieties  is  inadvisable.  Moreover,  the  hay  on  none  of 
the  plots  is  pure  alfalfa.  On  all  there  is  more  or  less  grass  and 
weeds,  and  the  proportion  of  these  foreign  things  cannot  readily 
be  accurately  determined.  It  is  proposed  to  analyze  the  crops 
next  year  and  from  their  composition  to  estimate  their  relative 
yield  of  alfalfa. 

For  three  years  the  Grimm  variety  gave  the  highest  yield,  while 
in  the  fourth  year  two  varieties  (Sand  Lucerne  and  Utah)  sur- 
passed it  in  total  yield. 


■8  connecticut  experiment  station  bulletin  i92. 

What  Did  it  Cost? 

Only  an  approximation  of  the  cost  is  possible,  because  most 
of  the  operations  of  fertilizing  the  plots  and  of  harvesting  had 
to  be  done  with  full  regard  to  the  twelve  separate  plots  and  their 
yields.  It  involved  the  separate  handling  of  twelve  small  one- 
ninth  acre  fields  lying  close  together.  Such  extra  costs  are 
not  included  in  the  account. 

The  following  are  the  actual  expenses  per  acre : 

Determined 

Plowing $  4.50 

Disking  and  cultivating  3  times  10.00 

Limestone,  6.95  tons  @  $3.40  23.63 

Basic  phosphate  @  $15  3.75 

Acid  phosphate  @  $12  3.09 

Muriate  of  potash  @  $42.50  8.94 

$53-91 
Estimated 

^Seeding  and  inoculating,  spreading  fertilizers   . . .  $10.00 
Cutting,  curing  and  hauling  crop,  4  tons  per  year 

for  four  years,  @  $2.00  per  tonf  32.00 

$95.91 

This  amounts  to  $5.99  per  ton  as  the  approximate  cost  of  pro- 
ducing alfalfa,  taking  no  account  of  use  of  land  and  depreciation 
of  plant  and  equipment. 

The  prices  of  fertilizers  and  labor,  except  in  harvesting  the 
1915  and  1916  crops,  are  peace  prices. 

That  the  above  estimate  of  cost  is  not  very  far  from  the  actual 
is  made  quite  probable  by  the  following : 

The  New  Jersey  Station  (Report  for  1909,  page  51)  deter- 
mined the  cost  of  preparing,  fertilizing  and  seeding  a  seven-acre 
alfalfa  field  and  distributed  this  over  a  period  of  five  years,  the 
average  cutting  period  of  this  crop. 

The  actual  cost  of  harvesting  and  fertilizing  for  each  year 
was  also  proportioned  and  charged  to  each  crop.     The  results 


*  Team  and  two  men  for  about  i^  days. 

t  Above  expenses  amount  to  $3.99  per  ton.  New  Jersey  calls  the  total 
cost  $5.34.  This  would  leave  in  our  case  $1.35  per  ton  for  harvest.  On 
account  of  higher  cost  of  labor  I  add  about  50  per  cent. 


OBSERVATIONS    ON    ALFALFA. 


are  given  below,  with  those  for  mixed  hay  for  a  three-year  period, 
which  furnish  an  interesting  comparison. 


Yield,  tons  per  acre 
Cost  per  ton  


Mixed 

Alfalfa. 

Hay. 

4.42 

2.63 

$5-34 

$4.82 

.a  4  tons 
alfalfa. 

In  3  tons 
of  red 
clover. 

In  3  tons 

of  meadow 

hay. 

576 

570 

318 

1097 

906 

474 

1893 

1446 

1668 

2605 

2076 

2568 

139 

102 

132 

What  has  the  Alfalfa  Crop  Yielded  in  Feed? 

No  analyses  of  these  crops  have  been  made,  but  an  analysis 
made  some  years  ago  of  a  crop  carefully  weighed  and  sampled 
by  us  gave  the  following  figures  (not  very  different  from  pub- 
lished average  figures)  calculated  on  a  yield  of  four  tons  per 
acre  in  three  cuttings.  For  comparison,  average  figures  are  given 
for  clover  and  meadow  hay. 


Mineral   matter    

Protein    

Fiber    

Nitrogen-free   extract 
Fat    


The  significance  of  these  figures  lies  not  chiefly  in  the  larger 
gross  yield  of  the  alfalfa  crop  but  in  the  one  particular  of  larger 
yield  of  protein. 

The  "grain  bill"  always,  and  never  so  much  as  now,  is  a  large 
factor  in  cutting  down,  or  out,  the  profit  in  dairy  farming. 

The  "concentrates,"  like  cottonseed  and  linseed  meals,  gluten 
meal  and  feed,  etc.,  which  contain  high  percentages  of  protein, 
are  used  chiefly  to  "balance  the  ration;"  i.  e.,  to  put  a  larger 
proportion  of  protein  into  the  ration  than  it  would  otherwise 
contain. 

They  serve,  to  be  sure,  other  important  uses, — for  example,  to 
furnish  variety  and  palatability  in  the  ration  and  to  regulate  the 
action  of  the  digestive  tract  and  a  moderate  use  of  some  of  them 
will  probably  always  be  desirable.  But  effort  should  be  made 
to  eliminate,  as  far  as  can  profitably  be  done,  the  need  of  them 
simply  for  protein  supply. 

These  high-protein  feeds  are,  in  normal  times,  the  most  expen- 
sive, and  no  seed  can  be  profitably  grown  in  Connecticut  which 
in  its  natural  state  contains  nearly  as  much  protein.  \ 


lO  CONNECTICUT    EXPERIMENT    STATION    BULLETIN    I92. 

It  seems  necessary  to  say  here  that  the  word  "protein,"  as  generally 
used  in  discussion  of  farm  feeds,  may  include  nitrogenous  matters  of 
various  composition  which  are  not  true  proteins.  These  non-protein 
bodies  are  much  more  abundant  in  roughage  than  in  seeds  or  "concen- 
trates" made  from  them,  and  their  feeding  value  has  not  yet  been  fully 
determined. 

Hart  and  Humphrey,  however  (Jour.  Biolog.  Chem.,  XIX,  p.  140),  have 
found  in  several  experiments  that  the  nitrogen  of  alfalfa  hay  is  as 
effective  for  the  production  of  protein  in  milk  as  is  that  of  corn  meal. 

The  very  elaborate  and  painstaking  work  done  for  many  years  past 
by  Dr.  Osborne  at  this  Station  has  shown  that  the  true  proteins,  of  which 
there  are  many,  differ  in  proximate  composition,  in  reactions  and — 
because  of  these  differences — in  feeding  value.  This  difference  in  feeding 
value  he  has  directly  and  abundantly  proved  by  tests  with  animals. 

If  two  feeds  therefore  contain  equal  amounts  of  digestible  "protein," 
it  does  not  follow  by  any  means  that  they  are  of  equal  value  either  for 
growth  or  maintenance.  Therefore  in  all  comparisons  of  the  protein 
content  of  feeds  these  things  must  be  borne  in  mind. 

Applying  the  average  result  of  all  tests  of  digestibility  given 
by  Henry  (Feeds  and  Feeding)  to  the  figures  given  above,  it 
appears  that  a  ton  of  meadow  hay  of  the  best  quality  may  con- 
tain about  90  pounds  of  digestible  protein,  and  a  ton  of  alfalfa 
hay  194  pounds. 

In  the  present  state  of  our  knowledge  it  is  not  too  much  to 
assume  that  the  feeding  of  a  ton  of  alfalfa  hay  supplies  about 
100  pounds  of  digestible  protein  more  than  a  ton  of  meadow  hay 
supplies,  and  thereby  reduces  the  need  for  digestible  protein  in 
boughten  feeds  by  approximately  that  amount. 

Let  us  see  what  that  would  mean. 

Cottonseed  meal  contains  about  34.0  per  cent  of  digestible  pro- 
tein. It  would  follow,  then,  that  increasing  the  protein  in 
"roughage"  by  substituting  alfalfa  hay  entirely  for  meadow  hay 
should  decrease  the  need  for  protein  in  concentrates  by  about 
the  equivalent  of  294  pounds  of  cottonseed  meal  for  every  ton 
of  alfalfa  fed.  These  294  pounds  of  cottonseed  meal  at  present 
prices  cost  more  than  seven  dollars. 

In  feeding,  many  other  things  than  the  chemical  composition 
and  digestibility  of  feeds  must  be  considered.  Hart  and  Hum- 
phrey found  in  two  tests  that  when  alfalfa  was  fed  with  noth- 
ing else  except  a  small  amount  of  starch  it  had  a  noticeable 
diuretic  effect  and  reduced  the  milk  yield — but  not  the  milk  pro- 


OBSERVATIONS    ON    ALFALFA.  II 

tein.     In  ordinary  practice,  fed  in  conjunction  with  other  feeds, 
we  find  no  record  of  such  an  effect. 

What  Plant  Food  has  the  Alfalfa  Crop  taken 
FROM  the  Land? 

The  following  figures  give  the  facts  from  the  sources  just  men- 
tioned and  are  in  pounds  per  acre : 

In  4  tons  In  3  tons         In  3  tons 

alfalfa  clover  meadow 

hay.  hay.  hay. 

Nitrogen   181  133  80 

Phosphoric  acid  42  28  19 

Potash   136  145  97 

The  nitrogen  of  the  alfalfa  and  clover  grown  on  other  than 
land  rich  in  nitrogen  comes  largely — how  largely  one  can  do 
little  more  than  guess — from  the  air,  and  does  not  deplete  the 
soil.  In  meadow  hay  it  has  been  almost  entirely  drawn  from 
constituents  of  the  soil  and  fertilizers. 

Conclusion 

Probably  alfalfa  cannot  be  used  as  the  exclusive  form  of 
roughage  for  dairy  cows;  yet  if  fed  with  silage  at  the  rate  of 
ten  pounds  per  day  and  head,  taking  the  place  of  that  amount 
of  meadow  hay,  it  will  reduce  the  amount  of  digestible  protein 
necessary  to  be  added  in  the  grain  ration  by  about  one-half  pound 
per  day  and  head. 

Alfalfa,  red  clover  and  soy  beans  can  all  be  grown  successfully 
in  any  part  of  Connecticut.  No  one  of  them  is  adapted  to  all 
requirements. 

Soy  beans  are  an  annual,  can  be  planted  as  late  as  June  first, 
either  alone  or  with  corn,  and  cut  for  soiling  by  the  latter  part 
of  August  or  earlier : — a  catch  crop  where  winter  grain  or  fall 
or  spring  seeding  has  failed. 

Alfalfa,  good  for  five  years  or  more  after  seeding,  is  to  be  used 
on  land  not  needed  for  rotations  and  lying  perhaps  at  some 
distance  from  the  manure  pile  and  the  center  of  farm  work.  It 
is  a  heavy  yielder  and  a  soil  improver. 

Red  clover,  practically  a  two-year  crop,  is  suited  for  short 
rotations  and  is  also  a  soil  improver. 


12  CONNECTICUT    EXPERIMENT    STATION    BULLETIN    I92. 

All  three  are  rich  in  protein  and  make  this  protein  in  large 
measure  from  the  air. 

The  Station  has  for  some  years  demonstrated  the  value  and 
uses  of  soy  beans  on  its  field  at  Mount  Carmel,  and  in  191 5  by 
the  field  tests  of  farmers  in  different  parts  of  the  State.  Refer- 
ence to  this  work  is  made  in  Bulletins  185  and  191.  Both  Stations 
are  now  continuing  this  work  in  cooperation  with  the  Extension 
Service. 

The  value  of  red  clover  is  more  generally  understood. 

No  dairy  farmer  in  the  State  should  neglect  to  study  the  uses 
which  he  can  make,  under  his  special  farm  conditions,  of  one 
or  more  of  these  crops.  Directions  regarding  laying  down  land 
to  alfalfa  will  be  found  in  Joint  Circular  No.  3  of  the  Storrs 
Station  and  the  Extension  Service,  and  directions  for  planting 
soy  beans  will  be  found  in  the  bulletins  of  this  Station  to  which 
reference  is  made  above. 

We  believe  that  the  growing  of  one  or  more  of  these  nitrogen- 
gathering,  soil-improving,  protein-producing  crops  is  an  essential 
in  dairy  farming. 


University  of 
Connecticut 

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